I've always quite liked scars. They're physical evidence that something has happened, you can organize your memories and life by your scars. Since I figured that most of the scars I have already are from cuts, I wanted to give branding a try. I've had numerous piercings, but never any tattoos so I wasn't really sure what to expect. With piercing the pain (if any) is so quick, and I realized that branding (with a cautery pen) would obviously be relatively drawn out. I wondered if I could even sit still and just let someone burn me. Anyway, those were my initial concerns.
At A Glance Author Sera Contact Sera@bme.anon When Two years ago Artist Warren Studio Perforations Location Brighton, England I knew that Perforations had just begun experimenting with branding, and, as I was studying in England, decided to pay them a visit. Everyone was quite friendly and enthusiastic about having someone who wanted a brand, however, what with scheduling conflicts I didn't actually have the brand done until two weeks before I was meant to go back to the United States.
I went to the studio after hours with my sketch (a simple celtic knot), and waited around nervously while they finished up with the last customers. I was having the brand done on the back of my neck so, before he left Rob (one of the piercer) mentioned that tattoos done over the spine on the neck gave you sort of a pleasant sensation. At the time I'm just thinking, "yeah right" because it doesn't seem like a sharp pointy object, let alone a hot metal object, would feel so very nice hitting you in a vulnerable place.
Warren and I go downstairs and he draws the image on my neck. I check it and give the okay to "commence fire." There are several fans running for ventilation. Warren explains that he had originally branded without a mask, but started having weird dreams from the inhalants (!) So kids, don't go snorting your burning flesh.
I was most worried that I might jerk away once I felt hot metal on my neck, but Warren assured me his reflexes were quick. So the branding....it was an unforgettable feeling. There was a little pain on some level, but it seemed very far away. I could feel the branding pen go over each line and burn through each layer of skin, but it didn't seem to hurt. It's strange trying to describe how it felt, my face tingled and it felt like my cheeks were melting. Really the only indication I had that I was receiving a bad burn was the smell and the hissing and popping sounds. The smell and the noise was probably the most disconcerting part, but they keep me from completely spacing out. I was even sorry when Warren said he had finished ("are you sure?") He bandaged it and I went on my merry way.
I've heard a lot of people say that their brands spread or completely faded out during the healing process, so I was determined to irritate my brand as much as possible. With all the movement your neck gets though, I didn't have to do a lot of scrubbing. I think the third day was when I first pulled off the scab. It came off pretty easily after my shower, and I was delighted that the brand looked so good once I'd pulled it off. It was bright white with a pinky/red outline, and showed up pretty well. Of course once it got air on it a new scab started forming and it went all red again. So my procedure for the next few weeks was to rip off the scab every morning and scratch it (with clean hands!) every so often during the day. Sometimes I'd rub in an exfoliant (St. Ives apricot scrub) during a shower and then clean that off with provon. The healing was certainly the most painful part, but not terrible by any means.
Over the next few months the brand gradually turned into a raised scar. It started out as an indentation and then sections of it pushed out. It's fun to tell people about it because they always envision a huge, smoking cattle brand, and then act as though I've cheated by having it done with a pen. Personally, I don't see much appeal in strike branding because you haven't got much control, and it's also supposed to be less painful than a cautery pen because it burns through the nerves so quickly. Branding supposedly doesn't work as well with pale skin because if a scar's white and your skin's white it's obviously not going to be highly visible. Since my brand is raised and casts a slight shadow, it still seems to show up relatively well. I wonder sometimes what people think when they see it, that it's just a white tattoo or an oddly shaped scar...? I would definitely like to get another brand even though I doubt it will feel as nice as the first. Pain's pretty relative thoug h and easily forgotten.